Posted April 14th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
COPs on the Hill
Stories from the week of April 9, 2010
I do not want to go to work today: Monday was a messy, lousy day. My records were wrong or incomplete and after a couple of embarrassing moments, I pulled the plug at lunch, doing just four presentations. Tuesday morning leaving the train, I had trouble making my boots walk in the direction of the House Office Buildings. It was my lowest moment in four years.
I resolved to never again do as many presentations per day as possible, rather limit myself to a max of 8. No more 11 chats in one day, like last week. My boss (me) will no doubt be upset but c’est la vie. Despite telling myself many years ago this effort is a marathon, I have always strived to achieve as much as possible every day. Wrong thinking. Armed with that resolve, I felt better and moved forward.
That day I had seven chats, including one excellent 30 minute chat with an aide (& former cop) to a top Republican leader. We drifted from drug policy to politics and employing the 10th Amendment more in order to reduce the power of Washington. He said he would pass on to the boss all my ideas, and he meant it. As we parted, I told him I would bring the donuts next April. J
Part One, Second Act: At a strategy session this week I learned that the Webb criminal justice review bill will be introduced into the House this month. The Senate has already voted the bill out of committee. As you know, I have pushed for such a review since my arrival in the Fall of 2005. Feels good. We have medium confidence to see the bill on the President’s desk by August recess.
Part Two, Act One: This will be the passage* of the bill to repeal the federal prohibition of cannabis. Stay tuned.
California here we come: This week we received a nice check which will pay our (Misty and me) gas out to California this September. Now we hope for one to bring us home!
*passage = Verabschiedung
COP stats since August 2009:
348 presentations to Congressional Staffers
7 presentations to VIPs (elected officials)
33 published Letters to the Editor (that we know of)
Numerous conferences, hearings & briefings attended. C-Span broadcast my question at a Senate briefing
8 radio shows
Three TV interviews (Colombian TV, Fox and Univision)
Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year. It is tax-deductible. Add your voice to those who agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow. Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or check.
Howard
Detective/Officer Howard Wooldridge (retired)
Drug Policy Specialist, COP – www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org
Washington, DC
817-975-1110 Cell
howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org
Citizens Opposing Prohibition – Become a Member
PO Box 772
Buckeystown, MD 21717-0772
Modern Prohibition/The War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional & immoral domestic policy since slavery & Jim Crow.
Posted April 6th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
Dear Editor,
Left out of Matt Cameron’s excellent, balanced report on marijuana was the issue of public safety. As a police officer for 18 years, I saw the horrific waste of good police time spent chasing the non-violent, non-problem causing marijuana smoker ( think Willie Nelson and Michael Phelps ).
As officers tear apart hundreds of thousands of cars looking for a baggie, the deadly DUI kills a Virginian every day. As our detectives fly around in helicopters looking for green plants, they miss rapists who stalk the sidewalks and jogging paths. No question, the prohibition of marijuana reduces public safety.
Howard Wooldridge
Drug Policy Specialist
Posted March 30th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
PROHIBITION STILL FAILS
As a retired police detective and a student of history, I know there is only one sure method to rid the streets of Columbus of drug dealers; namely, to put all the dangerous, illegal drugs in a state-regulated store, perhaps with the same rules and controls as alcohol.
My profession has arrested millions of drug dealers in the past 40 years, and drugs remain readily available to our children. There is always someone who will take the chance of prison or death to make the ‘easy’ money.
Howard Wooldridge
Albany
Posted March 26th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
In regard to your March 17 editorial “Murder in Mexico”: As a police detective who worked the trenches of our failed modern Prohibition-like war on drugs, I experienced firsthand the fact that the strategy has been the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral domestic policy since slavery and Jim Crow. Americans are loathe to admit this policy has been a mistake, even after 40 years of failure and a trillion tax dollars spent. However, Rep. Ron Paul favors repealing drug prohibition and he was a candidate for president ( and raised a ton of money ). He is now a force in Republican politics.
You state that drug use would rise with a legal, regulated market. Besides a business and finance expert, are you also a doctor, board-certified in addiction psychiatry? I have spoken to eight such doctors and they state that almost no one would start using heroin, crack or methamphetamines just because it became legal. Most Americans are not that stupid.
Howard Wooldridge
Drug Policy Specialist
Citizens Opposing Prohibition
Washington
Posted March 21st, 2010 by hiwayhowie
COPs on the Hill
Stories from the week of March 19, 2010
Is that all you have to wear? On Tuesday I needed to collect the change of staffers in the Longworth Bldg in preparation to begin my meetings there. To avoid sweating badly, I dressed in my COPs t-shirt to go into 131 offices. I had been in Congressman Hank Johnson’s (D-GA) office for just a few moments, when he came thru the door. Recall he was the Member who saw me at Christamas in my shirt, as I delivered MPP’s Christmas car and we chatted. Recall I asked him a question at the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) seminar last fall…in my T-shirt.
Anyway, he shook my hand, asked what progress I was making, etc. We had an excellent two minute chat with 7 staffers gathered around us (I am sure in a bit of amazement). I hope Congressman Johnson knows I have more to wear than my t-shirt! Small steps.
We love pack rats:* After last week’s Senate hearing on how the Mexican Drug Cartels are corrupting federal officers, I remembered that Bob Ramsey of Texas (who recruited* me into Drug Reform 13 years ago) had given me a graph showing this type of corruption. Doug Ierley of Senator Webb’s office wanted info on corruption. Bob dug thru his many files of info and located the document, sending it to me. The document is already with Doug and will be in the hands of all the offices of Senators on the committee which held the hearing. Thanks Bob.
Don’t lose your humanity: Last Sunday afternoon I heard the news of the slaughter of innocents in Ciudad Juarez — 3 adults (one pregnant) connected to our consulate and the wounding of two of their children. For 30 seconds my mind raced to understand how this tragedy would help move and end the policy of prohibition. Then BOOM. My thinking process came to a screeching halt. I became horrified that my first thoughts had been about the policy, instead of what a tragedy of huge proportions. 3 children are now orphans, many families are weeping as they make preparations for a funeral, etc. I spoke to Karen and aired out* how I needed to keep all in perspective. Truly I have been drinking too much of the DC water. I need more time with Misty. Something.
COP stats for first year to date:
278 presentations to Congressional Staffers
8 presentations to VIPs (elected officials)
31 published Letters to the Editor (that we know of)
Numerous conferences, hearings & briefings attended. C-Span broadcast my question at a Senate briefing
8 radio shows
Two TV interviews (Colombian TV) & Fox
*pack rat = eine Person, die alles aufbewahrt, nichts weg wirft.
* recruited = hat mich überzeugt tätig zu werden
* aired out = Luft machen, auslüften, etwas wie das.. über alles sprechen und ausdrücken.
Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year. It is tax-deductible. Add your voice to those who agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow. Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or check.
Detective/Officer Howard Wooldridge (retired)
Drug Policy Specialist, COP – www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org
Washington, DC
817-975-1110 Cell
howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org
Citizens Opposing Prohibition – Become a Member
PO Box 772
Buckeystown, MD 21717-0772
Modern Prohibition/The War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional & immoral domestic policy since slavery & Jim Crow.
